MHADA official held while taking bribe

An executive engineer of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau here Wednesday while allegedly accepting bribe from a contractor.

Suryakant Deshmukh (55) had allegedly demanded bribe from a contractor for clearing his bill of Rs 8 lakh, an ACB official said.

The contractor had been engaged for repair of some old buildings at Sonapur in Marine Lines area, the official said.

Deshmukh allegedly demanded two per cent commission for clearing payment of Rs 8 lakh and another Rs 5,000 for paying a vigilance department official.

After the contractor approached the ACB, a trap was laid at MHADA office in Chandanwadi and Deshmukh was caught while allegedly accepting Rs 20,000, the official said.